Hop picking machine



Jan. 16, 1940. E. 'rHYs 2,187,526

HOP PICKING MACHINE Filed June 30, 1937 15 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY;

Jan. 16, 1940. E. l'rrr-nfs H0? PICKING IACHINE Filed June 50, 1957 5 Shets-Sheet 2 nu I. r

IN VEN TOR.

I ATTORNEY.'

Jan. 16, 1940. E, THYS no?. PICKING MACHINE Filed June .'50, 1937 5 Sheets-Sham, Z5

IN VEN TOR.

ATTORNEY;

Jan. 16,V 1940. E THYS HOP PICKING MACHINE Filed June 30, 1937 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 .www o o o o wu r KW l v Q u v G n w W vo .V Q NW a uw m v M. {@.r IMAWII .W .Mq 91:.. o 0 ma" o nu u n. n .w d o $6 C www ATTORNEY.

5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR.

E. THYB HOP PICKING IACHINE Filed June ISO. 1937 Jan. 16, 1940.

, TTURNEYS.

Patented Jan. 16, 1940- AEs UNITED STAT 4 Claims. This invention relates to hop picking machines the pickingof hops inthe lields .where they are grown. l i

The picking of hops by means of machinery is now a comparatively old art, as machine picksince 1910, orearler; the type of machine employed` being that illustrated in Patents Numbers i 1,054,119 `and 1,054,551.,` These machines are large affairs,` the main picking machine being about` two hundred `feet long, thirty feet high, and about twenty-ilve'ifeet ivwide. Besides the 'y main picking machine there are machinesfor separating the stems and leaves from the hops and there `are arm pickers and cluster busters. The several machines are connected by conveyors and form a combinedunit all assembledunder `one roof land known as the picking plant.

Hops, as is well known,` grow on vines supported `by trellisestwelve to eighteen feet high and before they can be picked by machines of thefcharacter above referred to, itis necessary` o5 to `cut down the vines `and pull` them free from the trellises and to load them ontowagons whereby they are hauledr to the main picking plant.

. They are there unloaded-and fed intothe picking machine, and the hops removed are separated from` leaves and stems andare finally delivered tothe hop kilns to be dried. l l

While` this method of handlingjand picking is more eflicient and less costly'than hand picking," there is, nevertheless, considerable waste, `break- I ageof vines, and loss of time; the main loss in time being that of hauling the vines from the fields to the main picking plant, the breakage encountered in `loading and unloading thev vines,

and `the re-hauling of all waste material back to z Machine picking i directly in the field would eliminate these` losses and is thepurpose of the present invention. lFor some time experimental work has been carried on with eld picking machines and during the last season or so the results obtained have become `so successful that plant picking may be abandoned. The field machine `forming the subject matter of `this patent is portable and'may be hauled by tractor or` placed di rectly upon `a truck or trailer. j The machine travelsthrough `the field between `the rows of trel lises and will remain stationary whllethe vines are being `cut down and fed ito the machine. After a certain area `has been cleared off, the machine will be `moved ahead, and so on, until HOP PICKING MACHINE Edouard Thys, San Francisco, Calif., asslgnor to E. Clemens Horst Company, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of New Jersey application Juneso, 1937, .serial No. 151,142

(ci. 13o-3o) and particularly to a portable machine to permit ing has been in continuous use on` a comparatively` large scale in California andother states at least PATENT OFFECE. Y

the row is finished, after which, row after row will behandled in the same manner, or alternativel`y, the vines may be fed to the machine while it is traveling between the rows of vines at a slow speed. The machine contains a main faerie d ing and picking unit and separating and cleaning units. The picked and cleaned/hops are sacked and hauled to the dry kilns, While all waste mau terial, such as the picked vines', leaves, stems, etc., is left in the field'as the machine advances. 0 The portable machine intended for field picking of hops isshown by way of illustration `in the accompanying drawings, in which Y Fig. l is a side elevation of the machine, parl tially in section; 5

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a. portion of the lower end ofV` the diamond-mesh wire screen disposed below the main picking belt, said view also showing a portion of the perforated plate forming an extension ofthe diamond-mesh 20 f screen, and said view also showing a portion of one of the bars whereby the picking fingers are supported; f Fig. 3 is an enlarged View in side elevation of the upper portion of the picking mechanism; 25.

Fig. 4 is a similar view of the lower portion of the picking mechanism;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal section .of the main picker belt;

Fig. 6 is a partialside elevation showing the 30 vine-discharging rolls in raised position, said view also showing the cam shoes whereby one of said rollers is actuated; l

Fig. 'l is a plan view, partially broken away,

Fig. 10 is a cross section taken on line X--X ofFig. 1;

Fig. 11 is a detail view of the cam whereby the vine-gripping jaws are automatically opened;

Fig. 12is a plan View partially broken away of 45 one of the grasper bars, said view also showing the gripping jaws mounted thereon, one jaw being open ad the other closed;

Fig. 13 is a cross section taken on line X171 XIII ofFig. l2;V 50

Fig. 14 is a side view of a portlonof one of the grasper bars, said View showing the plateupon which the'gripping jaws are mounted;

Fig. 15 is a partial plan view of Fig. 5, said view showing one of the bars 51 upon which the fingers 55 are secured, and said view also showing one of the channel bars 55.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and particularly to Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, A indicates a main frame which may be supported upon wheels or any other suitable portable unit which is adapted to be drawn by a tractor or like vehicle. Mounted on the frame is a hop-picking unit generally indicated at B, and similarly mounted thereon are a series of separating umts generally indicated at C, D, E and F, whereby leaves, stems, and other foreign material is removed from the picked hops.

In conjunction with the picking unit is an endless conveyor consisting of two spaced parallel chains G-G, whereby the hop vines to be picked are pulled or conveyed through thev picking unit. 'I'he chains are supported by pairs of sprocket gears indicated at 2, 3, 4, 5, 5, 1, 8 and 5, the sprockets being secured on shafts ,iournaled crosswise of the frame, and the sprockets 1 being the driving sprockets, as the shaft 1a upon which they are secured is driven from a countershaft I5 by means of a chain and sprocket drive indicated by dotted lines at Il, the countershaft being in turn driven from a motor I2 by a chain and sprocket drive indicated by dotted lines at I4. Ihe chainsG-G are connected by angle iron grasper bars I5, spaced apart the approximate length of the vine, that is, from twelve to fifteen feet. Each bar carries a pair of gripping jaws (see Figs. 11 to 14 inclusive), one of which is stationary, as shown at I5, while the other is pivoted as at I1. A plate I5 secured to the angle bar forms a support for the jaws; this plate carries a lug I5 through which extends a. rod 25, the opposite end of which is pivotally attached to a crank forming'a part of the pivoted jaw. A spring 2I surrounds the rod and is interposed between the crank and the lug I9, and it exerts sumcient pressure to retain the pivoted jaw either in a closed or an open position, as shown in Figs. 11 and l2. There are two sets of clamping jaws on each grasper bar I5, one set adjacent each end thereof, and the vines to be picked are grasped thereby and are pulled through the picking unit. Two operators stand on a platform 23, each of whom grasps a vine at the butt end and bends it into a loop and passes the loop over the stationary jaw, as indicated by dotted lines at 24 (see Fig. 11), and then pulls the lever 25 to close the pivoted jaw. In this position the vine cannot be released, as the greater the pull on the vine the firmer the jaws will grip it. The vines are attached to the grasper bars I5 as they pass between the sprockets 2 and 3, this being the most convenient as it is within easy reach of the feeders or operators standing on the platform 25. The vines when attached will be pulled upwardly over the picking unit in the direction of arrow a (see Fig. 1) and thus are dragged over a series of grilling units generally indicated at 25, 21, 25 and 25. These units are identical in construction and operation, so that the description of one will sufiice.

Referring to Figs. 3, 7 and 9, 25 indicates a.

shaft journaled crosswise ofthe main frame.'

Pivotally mounted on the shaft. adjacent each end thereof, are a pair of arms 5I, and'supported at the opposite end of each arm are bearings 32 in which is journaled a cross-shaft Il. Secured on said shaft are a pair of sprocket gears 54, and similarly secured on the shaft 35 are a pair of sprocket gears 35. Endless chains 21 are carried by the sprockets, and thesein turn are connected by angle iron bars such as indicated at 25. Each bar carries a series of V-shaped flexible wire picking fingers 55, which are best shown in Figs. 2 and 9. The bars 55 are spaced apart as clearly shown in Figs. 'l and 9, and to prevent hops from dropping downwardly between the bars as they are removed from the hop. vines, nller bars are placed between the bars 25. Each of the units 25, 21, 25 and'25 has a drive shaft; the shaft being the drive 'shaft of the unit 25, the shaft 25a being the drive shaft of the unit 25, the shaft 21a the drive for the unit 21, and the shaft 25a the drive for the unit 25. Sprocket gears such as shown at 4I in Fig. '7 are mounted on one end of each drive shaft. the sprockets 4I on the shafts 25 and 25a being driven by a chain 42 passing around a sprocket "secured on a counter-shaft 45, and the drive shafts 25a. and 21a being driven by a chain 44 passing over a sprocket secured on a countershaft 45. The shafts 45 and 45 are driven by a chain 45 which in turn is driven from the main counter-shaft I5.

I'he grilling units normally assume the position shown at 25, 21 and 25 when themachine is in operation, but they are raised by means of springs 45 to the position shown by the-unit 25 when a grasper bar passes beneath the same. Means-must accordingly be provided for raising and lowering the grilling units and for securing them in the lowered position. This is accomplished by securing a cam arm 55 to each unit.'

The upper end of each cam arm is adapted to be engaged by a pivoted latch 5I, while the lower end of each cam arm is adapted to be engaged by a roller 52 carried by the chain G in a position slightly in advance of a grasper bar, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. The latch is also provided with an extension as shown at Ila, and this is engaged by the roller. As Va grasper bar passes around the sprockets 5, the roller 52 in advance thereof will engage the lower end of the latch arm 5I, thereby swinging the latch about its pivot, and causes it to release the cam arm 5I. 'I'he spring 45 immediately raises the grilling unit to the position shown at 29 in Figs. 1 and 3, and there-v by provldes a clearance space for the free passage of the grasper bar. As the grasper bar and the.

roller 52 advance, the roller will engage the lower end of the arm 55 and will thus swing the grilling unit about the shaft 55 back to the position shown at 25, where the upper end of the arm is engaged by the latch and there` secured. In

other words, each grilling unit is merely raised during the passage of the grasper bar, and is immediately lowered into picking position after the grasper bar has cleared the same, the operation of raising and lowering being entirely automatic and being controlled by the roller 52.y

The vines attached to a gasper bar, at a point between the sprockets 2 and 2, are as previously stated pulled upwardly over the grilling units in the direction of the arrow a` and as the vines full of hops are dragged over the units 25, 21. 25 and 25, the V-shaped fingers, traveling in the direction of the arrows, will comb the lower side of the vine and will remove a great portion of the hops on that side of the vine. 1

The upper side of the vine will not be combed,

to any material degree, but it is combed when passing below the grilling' units by means of an endless picker belt generally indicated at H. This belt consists of a pair of spaced chains 55 con.- nected by angle iron cross bars such as shown at 51 (see Fig. 5). Each of these bars is provided with flexible V-shaped wire fingers 58 oi' the type shown in Figs. 2 and 15, and the spaces between the bars are closed by channel bars 59 also secured between the chains. This endless picker belt is supported by pairs of sprockets E and 6|, the upper set of sprockets being driven by the chain 48, previously referred to, in the direction of the arrow (see Fig. 1). Thus as the conveyor to which the vine isattached passes around the sprockets 5 and vdownwardly towards the sprockets l, it will be pulled between picking 'lingers 58 and the ngers mounted on the grilling units 28, 21, 2l and 29. Both sides of the vine will thus be thoroughly combed, and the picking operation is completed when the vine passes over the sprockets 8. At this point the conveyor is directed downwardly under the sprockets 1 and then down to the sprockets 8.

Just rearwardly of the sprockets is a pair of rubber-covered rollers 62 and il (see Figs. 1, 4, 6 and 8). These rollers are provided for the purpose of pulling the vine out of the picking unit after the grasper bar passes around the sprockets l. In order to permit the grasper bar .to pass between the rollers l2 and t3, it is obviously necessary to separate them. 'I'his is automatically accomplished in the present instance as follows: Referring to Figs. 4, 6 and 8, it will be noted that the roller 62 is supported between stationary bearings 62a, while the roller 0I is mounted in arms 64y pivoted on the shaft la. 'I'here are two arms, one at each end o! the shaft la, and each arm is provided with cam-shaped shoes 65. 'I'hese shoes are engaged by the rollers l2 set in advance of the grasper bars, and as the rollers 52 engage the shoes, thearms Il are raised to assume the position shown in Fig. 6, thereby separating the rollers 82 and I3 sumciently to permit a grasper bar to passV between them. To prevent the sudden release and return of the roller 63 to its norma-l pulling posi tion, extension arms Sla are provided which are connected through links 86 with a pair oi' lower cam arms 61 pivoted as at 6B. The rollers 52 engage the lowei cam arms at the same time they leave the upper cams 65, but as the rollers pass around the sprockets l they gradually move away from the lower shoes and thereby cause a gradual lowering'of the arms 84 or a gradual movement of the roller Il towards the roller 62. This gradual movement is desired because the rollers B2 and. 63 are rubber-covered and are fairly heavy, and unless the roller 83 were gradually lowered. there would be considerable shockv and impact if the shoes B5 were suddenly released.

. After the rollers 52 and the grasper bar following the same have passed around the sprockets I. they will move upwardly and over the sprockets 9, and as they approach the sprocket 2 a cam such as shown at 10 will be approached. There are two of these cams. one adjacent each end of the grasper bar. The grasper bars are slotted as shown at 1I, and this permits the cams 10 to pass through the slots and to pass between the gripping jaws I6 and I1, Ithereby opening them and automatically releasing the butt end of the vines. The butt ends thus released will fall downwardly towards the ground. It is for this reason that the rollers 62 and 6I are provided; that is, the moment the `butt ends oi' the vines are released, all pull is released. and the vines would be pulled back into the picking unit, but this cannot happen in the present instance, as the rollers 63 which are power-driven continue the pull and will remain in engagement until -the vines have been completely discharged,

when they will again be separated to permit the next grasper bar to pass.

The hops which grow on hop vines grow both singly, doubly, and in clusters, and when theV of the diamond-mesh screen, and as the picking ngers practically rub against the surface of said screen, it is obvious that any clusters deposited at the upper end thereof will be tornk to pieces, and the hops will be removed from the arms, before the lower end of the screen is reached. Thus substantially all the hops, whether in clusters or otherwise, will be separated and will pass through the screen and will be removed by a conveyor belt 11 which discharges them at the point indicated at 18.

In picking hops, whether by machine or hand, it is essential that breaking of the individual hops be reduced to a minimum. Hence it is desirable that when the hops are picked or removed from the vines, they be held in a position where they are not subject to injury. The hops that are rst picked are picked by the upper series of fingers of the grilling belts, indicated at 28, 21, 28 and 29. The ngers on these belts are, as previously stated, secured to angle iron bars extending crosswise of the chains support ing them, and ller bars are disposed between the angle bars, as clearly shown in Fig, 9. Thus the hops when removed from the vines by means of the fingers will settle at the base of the ngers Il and rest upon the filler bars disposed between thev finger bars. They are, however, removed from this position of rest when the bars pass around the lowermost sprockets, as they drop out from between the fingers by gravity, and thus fall on top of the lingers 58 of the main picker belt. They here settle between the fingers on the illler bars 59 (see Fig` 5) and they are carried upwardly by the fingers on the tlller bars and are nally dumped on the diamondmesh wire screen at the point indicated at 16, and at'ths point they drop through the meshes of the screen onto the conveyor 11. Thus the hops, when actually picked or removed from the vines, are maintained in a position where they are least subject to damage, until they are delivered to the separating units which will hereinafter be described.

In the picking oi the hops, that is', by combing the vines by means of the V-shaped lingers. a great many leaves, stems, arms, etc., are removed from the vines. Small leaves and stems will pass through the diamond-mesh screen and will be deposited with the hops on the conveyor 11, but large leaves, long stems and arms will slide downwardly over the diamond-mesh screen and will be delivered by a perforated plate 19 to the rubber rollers 63 which will remove them and permit them to drop to the ground. Any hops which are carried this far will pass through the perforations in the plate 19 and will be deposited on the conveyor 11.

The "hops, acertain proportion of leaves, and small stems will, as previously stated, be carried upwardly by the conveyor belt 11, and are discharged Yat the upper end thereof,or at the point 18, and will there drop by gravity ontoa series of closely spaced wi-re fingers 80. and hops will slide down over these iingers and will nally be deposited on a separating belt indicated at 8|, while the smaller stems and leaves that happen to fall edgewise between the fingers 80 will be deposited on a conveyor belt 82 which dischargesthem to one side or the other of the machine. The belt 8l is made of a comparatively fine wire mesh and is supported by pulleys indicated at 83, 84 kand 85. A suction fan 86 is disposed behind the belt as shown, and draws air therethrough in the direction of the arrow c. All leaves will adhere to the belt and will be carried over the roller 83, while the hops will merely roll down the belt and will be deposited on a second separator, the belt of which is indicated at 81. A certain proportion of the stems will also roll down the separating belt 8l and these will be removed as will hereinafter be described.

The leaves adhering to the belt 8| and passing over the pulley 83 will be blown off the belt'as it passes around the pulley 84, as the blast of the fan 86 will blow them off. 'I'he belt 81 consists of a series of buckets 88 which are sufficiently deep to receive hops two or three layers deep. Any stems that fall in the buckets together with the hops have a tendency to standon end and project above the surface of the buckets, and as the conveyor consisting of buckets moves in the direction of the arrows (see Fig. 1) they will pass under a revolving brush 89 which will engage the stems and discharge them onto a chute 90. 'I'he hops themselves will discharge at a point below the plate 90 into the chute 9|, and from there will be discharged onto a conveyor belt 92 extending crosswise of the machine. of this belt discharges the hops into a ductV 93 (see Fig, 1U), through which is maintained an upward blast of air, delivered by a fan 94 which is driven by the. motor l2, the blast being suiclently strong to lift the hops to a goose-neck 95,

from where they drop by gravity into'a spout Sil;`

where the hops are sacked. Any foreign material mixed with the hops, such as clods of dirt, pieces of wire lingers that may have been broken, bolts, nuts, or the like, which may have fallen into the machinery, or which have shaken loose, will all drop downwardly through the duct 93, and discharge at the lower end thereof, at the point indicated at 91. Thus, nothing but clean hops is delivered to the sacking spout 96, as all other foreign material, such as leaves, stems,V

arms. etc., has been removed.

The present invention relates to the picking mechanism only. It is 'for this reason that only a brief description of the several separating machines employed has been given, as the separating machines are fully illustrated and described in the following two issued patents: No. 2,138,529, issued November 29, 1938. entitled Hop separa tor; and No. 2,116,006, issued May 3, 1938, for .Hop and stem separator.

In actual operation, it will be understood that the unit shown in Fig. l will be mounted on wheels, not shown. or any other portable unit, such as a trailer or the like, and that the unit will be drawn by a tractor. The tractor will pull the unit downr through a hop iield between the rows of hops. The pickers will cut down the vines The leaves f The opposite end,l

on opposite sides of the tractor, and they will be handed butt end to the operators or feeders standing on the platform 23. These feeders will attach the butt ends ofthe vines to the clamps of the grasper bars as they pass between the sprockets 2 and 3. Thereafter further attention on the part of the operators is unnecessary, as all picking and separating operations are automatically taken ycare of by the machinery.

The picking u nit may stand-stationary while the'vlnes arebeing cut and delivered to the feeders, or it may be slowly advancing as the vines are being cut and delivered to the feeders.

The vines themselves are automatically released by the cams 10 when they have been picked, and whatever remains of the vine when the butt ends are released by the cam 10 is pulled out from between the picking fingers by means of the power-driven rollers 62 and 63. These rollers also automatically discharge any large stems and arms which may have been torn free from the vines during their passage through the picking mechanism. All such matter is deposited directly on the ground and is uniformly spread as the machine advances. A certain proportion of smaller stems, leaves and petals are separated by the fingers B0 and are discharged to one side by the conveyor belt 82. The rest of the leaves are separated or removed from the hops by the belt 8l, and are discharged to the ground at the rear of the machine, while any heavy objects, such as clods of dirt, broken parts of wire lingers or other metal objects, are discharged to the ground through the lower end of the duct 91.

The separating belt consisting of the buckets 88 is supported by the sprockets shown in Fig. l, and one of the sprockets forms a driving sprocket and is driven by a chain from one of the countershafts. The upper pulley 83 of the separating belt 8l is driven by a chain indicated in dotted lines from the upper'conveyor belt shaft. The fan 86 is driven from the motor l2, through a belt which drives a pair of spiral gears 98; this in turn drives a shaft 99 which, through a belt, drives the fan 86. The entire mechanism is thus driven by the motor l2, which may be a gas engine or any motive power unit of a similar nature.

While certain features of the invention have been more or less speciiically described and illustrated, I nevertheless wish it understood that changes may be resorted to, within the scope of the appended claims, and that the materials and finish of the'several parts employed may be such as the experience and judgment of the manufacturer may dictate,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows:

l. In a hop picking machine, a main picker belt composed of transverse rows of V-shaped picking fingers, a second picker belt composed of transverse rows of V-shaped picking ngers disposed above the main picking belt, means for imparting continuous movement to both picker beltswith their adjacent surfaces traveling in the same direction, said second belt being disposed on an angle with relation to the main belt and having one end movable to and from the main belt; a'vine conveyor movable between the two belts, grasper bars on the vine conveyor, to which vines to be picked are attached; and means actuated 'oy movement of the vine conveyor for automatically raising and lowering the movable end of the second belt'during the passage of a grasper bar therebeneath, said means comprising r is meuse a spring for raising the movable end, a latch arm normally securing the movable end in the lower position, a roller on the belt engageable with the latch to release it and to permit the spring to raise the movable end, and a cam on the movable end which the roller engages to lower the movable end into engagement with the latch.

2. In a hop picking machine of the character described, a main frame, a main picking belt mounted therein, a drive shaft Journaled crosswise of the frame, a pair'of arms pivoted at one end to said shaft and spaced apart, a picker mechanism consisting of transverse rows of V- shaped iingers ydriven by the drive shaft and supported by the arms and between them. said pickingmechanism being disposed above the main picking belt; an endless chain conveyor passing over the picking mechanism and between the same and the main picking belt, vine-grasper means on the bars to receive and secure the butt ends of the vines to be'picked, said conveyor together with the bars and grasper means pulling the vines over the picking mechanism and between the same and the main picking belt; spring means connected with the free ends of the arms which support the picking. mechanism, to lift the picking mechanism away from the main picking belt; a latch normally holding the picking mechanism in picking position; means actuatedby the chain conveyor during the passage of a grasperfy bar for automatically releasing the latch to per- I mit the picking mechanism to raise while a veyor operable at a feeding position for receiving and securing the butt end of a vine to be picked, said conveyor and clamping means pulling the vine through the picking mechanism; a pair of rubber-covered rollers disposed at the discharge end of the picking mechanism; means for automatically and momentarily separating the rollers to permit passage of the clamping means between them; and other means for automatically opening the clamping means to release the butt end of the vine after passing between the rollers, said rollers pulling the remainder of the vine out of the picking mechanism after the butt end is released.

4. In a hop picking machine, a main picker 'belt composed of transverse rows of V-shaped picking fingers, a second picker belt composed of transverse rows of V-shaped picking lingers disposed above the main picking belt. means for imparting continuous movement to both picker belts,

-with their adjacent surfaces traveling in the same direction, means for feeding a hop vine between the belts and in a direction opposite to the movement of the adjacent surfaces of the belts, awire mesh screen disposed below the main picker belt to receive individual hops, clusters of hops and arms torn from the vines, said screen being in such close proximity to" the picking lingers of the main belt that clusters of hops will be broken, and hops will be removed from the arms, said screen being suiilciently coarse to permit `individual hops to drop through, but retaining the arms, and said arms being dragged by the nngers of the picking ybelt to a point of discharge: a perforated plate forming a continuation of the screen at the point of discharge; and a pair of continuously revolving rollers disposed adjacent said plate to remove the arms deposited thereon.

anonimo ms. 

